Breaking news

Nine feared dead after Italian shipping crash

Seven people are confirmed to have died after the Jolly Nero crashed into the port tower and two remains unaccounted for.

Giuseppe Cacace, AFP

Nine people are now feared to have died after a container ship crashed in Italy's busiest port of Genoa, bringing down a 50-metre control tower.

The Jolly Nero ploughed into the dock late on Tuesday (local time) during a standard manoeuvre as it was being steered to exit the port on its way to Naples with a cargo of trucks and containers.

Some of the victims were thrown into the water, while others were trapped in the tower's lift, which plunged into the sea, emergency workers said.

"Seven people died, four were injured and two are missing," transport minister Maurizio Lupi told parliament after visiting the scene of the crash.

Earlier media reports that a 50-year-old man, a telephone operator, had been pulled alive from the rubble on Wednesday were not confirmed.

The man was officially listed among the fatalities.

Lupi added that there were three possible explanations for the accident: engine failure, a problem with cables used by the two tug boats towing the ship, or bad steering and excessively high speed.

Prosecutors have placed the ship's captain and a port pilot who had been on board during the manoeuvre under investigation for multiple manslaughter and have impounded the ship.

Michele Di Lecce said he was also looking into a possible charge of "attack on transport security" since the control tower oversaw maritime operations for the entire Liguria region of north-west Italy.

"We do not rule out other people being placed under investigation," he said.